This invention relates to a hot water extraction system for cleaning carpets and floors of all types and materials.
In prior extraction systems, separate supply and recovery tanks are provided in a movable, floor-supported carrier unit and a cleaning solution (comprising hot water and a detergent or a cleaning chemical) is pumped from the supply tank to a nozzle and sprayed onto the floor or carpet to be cleaned. The spent solution, together with dirt from the floor or carpet, are then picked up or extracted by a suction tool and vacuumed through a suction hose to the recovery tank. In one of these prior systems, the supply tank has a special shape so that it may be attached to and interfaced with a particular canister-type wet/dry vacuum cleaner, thereby effectively converting that vacuum cleaner to a hot water extraction cleaning system. Unfortunately, the water extraction apparatus can be used with only the specific vacuum cleaner for which it was designed. No other vacuum cleaner can be substituted. This means that if a person desires to buy such a hot water extraction cleaning system, all of the equipment must be purchased, including the particular vacuum cleaner to which the accessory apparatus is married. This is true even though the person may already own a canister-type wet/dry vacuum cleaner of some other design.
The present invention also provides accessory apparatus for converting a canister-type wet/dry vacuum cleaner into a hot water extraction cleaning system. However, unlike the prior system, the present invention can be used with any conventional canister-type wet/dry vacuum cleaner. This, of course, constitutes a significant improvement over the prior art.
Moreover, the unique design of the present extraction system results in other advantages, to be made apparent, over the prior systems.